-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The first time an assassin 's bullet tried to find her , Maria Santos Gorrostieta escaped , but her husband was killed .

That was in 2009 , when she was mayor of Tiquicheo , a small town in the Mexican state of Michoacan , which has seen some of the most brutal drug-related violence .

President-elect : More than drugs define Mexico

The bullets found her in January of 2010 , but again , she survived .

She remained defiant , lifting her shirt at one point to show reporters her bullet wounds and scars after the second attack .

Gorrostieta finished her term as mayor in 2011 and remarried .

But the forces who wanted her dead prevailed this month , kidnapping her while she drove her daughter to school .

Gorrostieta 's body was found last week , her hands bound . No bullets this time .

Investigators said there was evidence of a blow to the back of the head .

It was a shocking end to a public servant who vowed to put her small town 's interests first while she held a position that many try to influence .

`` I will rise up again as many times as God allows me to so that I can keep on seeking , fighting for , and working out plans , projects and actions for the benefit of the people , especially those most in need , '' Gorrostieta , who was also a medical doctor , said after one of the unsuccessful attacks against her .

Michoacan is the scene of a turf war between rival drug cartels , and smaller organized crime groups operate there as well .

In 2009 , she spoke about the importance of entrusting the mayor 's office to a woman .

`` The most important thing is not to be afraid , '' she said then , gaining a reputation for civic-mindedness .

Stories of heroes and villains constantly emerge from Mexico , where acts of bravery and savagery coexist in the midst of a plague of drug violence .

Mexican beauty queen killed in shootout

Mexican president-elect : Not just drugs

Gorrostieta 's story appears to fall easily within the heroic category , though a report published Tuesday in the leading newspaper El Universal is a reminder that the most accurate tales often include shades of gray .

Even though a majority of Mexico is safe from drug violence , the newspaper described Gorrostieta 's city of Tiquicheo as one where the local drug trade called the shots and , citing unnamed sources , may have factored in its politics .

Investigators are not ruling out any possible motives -- political , personal or criminal -- in her killing , the state 's deputy attorney general , Marco Aguilera , told CNN .

The investigation is focusing on reconstructing the 11 months of Gorrostieta 's life since leaving office and whether there is anything that indicates impending danger .

The former mayor did not reach out to authorities to seek protection or to report threats at any time , Aguilera said .

The deputy attorney general said that her first husband , Jose Sanchez , had been the target of a failed assassination attempt before the first attack against his wife , in which Sanchez died . Between them , the couple was targeted a total of four times , and a motive for the attacks was never established , Aguilera said .

@highlight

Maria Santos Gorrostieta was fearless in the face of assassination attempts

@highlight

She was hailed for her bravery , but was found dead last week

@highlight

A report says the local drug trade called the shots in her town of Tiquicheo

@highlight

Investigators are n't ruling out any possible motives -- political , personal or criminal